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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. chest — a box
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com